Why Ashley Greene Is the Definition of Strong and Sexy

She's a pretty face that can also kick butt.

Take a look around the gym these days, and you'll see more than fit bodies with womanly curves. There's eyeliner. Berry-colored lips. Trendy braids swinging along the row of treadmills. Workout clothes so chic you can wear them to barre or the bar. The new female athlete is a perfect combination of strength and femininity. "Gender roles are changing even in the gym," says Eileen Anderson-Fye, Ph.D., Robson associate professor of anthropology and adjunct professor of psychiatry at case Western Reserve University. "Power and femininity are no longer mutually exclusive—it's not uncommon to see a woman hitting a punching bag wearing a flouncy Athleta skirt.

Enter Ashley Greene. With her sexy, sculpted body, athletic background ("I grew up doing a little bit of everything—martial arts, volleyball, diving, and competitive cheer, dance, and swimming"), and cool sense of style (she's the face of Oakley Women's eyewear), Ashley is the embodiment of this sporty beauty phenomenon. Take this anecdote: The 27-year-old Jacksonville, Florida, native recently challenged her boyfriend, entrepreneur Paul Khoury, to a car race at a track in Palm Springs—in high-heeled booties, no less. And guess what? She won! "Why shouldn't you be able to look cute when you win?" Ashley says playfully. The actress—who stars in the upcoming movies Burying the Ex and Staten Island Summer—reveals how she manages to kick butt and look gorgeous doing it.

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